I was only slightly surprised, and quickly realized that the root of this change had to be Lu Qiaolan.
The teddy bear had returned to Lu Qiaolan's side, and things were back to normal. The situation was even better than I'd hoped.
I was caught up in the thought for a moment. By the time I came back to myself, Lu Qiaolan had finished crying.
Though several years had passed, she still loved the teddy bear just as much. But she had also become a more mature woman.
Lu Qiaolan tenderly touched the teddy bear's missing ear and leg. Wiping her tears, she said, "I'm sorry. It was all my fault. I forgot about you... I'm sorry..."
The teddy bear reached out and kept wiping away Lu Qiaolan's tears.
Taking the opportunity, I cleared my throat to get the attention of the woman and bear.
I briefly told her what had happened to the teddy bear and what I'd learned about Huixiang.
Lu Qiaolan didn't ask how I knew about these things or how I'd found the teddy bear. She simply thanked me sincerely.
I didn't mind, but I felt a little awkward. After grasping for a topic, I asked, "That leg doesn't belong to it?"
Lu Qiaolan touched the spot where the teddy bear's leg was missing and shook her head. "No, it belongs to another one."
The leg Lu Qiaolan had picked up from the shared rental apartment had the exact same fur color as this teddy bear, and looked much like its other leg, too. But I couldn't tell the subtle differences between these teddy bears. If Lu Qiaolan said it wasn't the same one, then it wasn't.
The teddy bear behaved itself in Lu Qiaolan's arms. It looked like a worn-out toy, but the sight was